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CEGL002450 Thuja occidentalis - Betula alleghaniensis Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Northern White-cedar - Yellow Birch Forest
Colloquial Name: Northern White-cedar - Yellow Birch Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This upland white-cedar - hardwood forest is found in the northern Great Lakes region of the United States and portions of central Canada, and occasionally eastward into northern New England. Stands occur on well-drained to somewhat poorly drained upland soils. The soil is typically moderately acidic sandy clay with a thin litter layer. The canopy of this community is dominated by Thuja occidentalis and a variety of hardwoods, most typically Betula alleghaniensis, Betula papyrifera, and Populus tremuloides, but occasionally Acer rubrum and Acer saccharum. Associated conifers include Abies balsamea, Picea glauca, and, rarely, Tsuga canadensis. The understory usually contains a well-developed shrub/sapling layer, including Abies balsamea, Acer spicatum, Corylus cornuta, Diervilla lonicera, Linnaea borealis, Ribes triste, Rubus pubescens, and Taxus canadensis. Herbaceous species include Aralia nudicaulis, Eurybia macrophylla, Clintonia borealis, Coptis trifolia, Cornus canadensis, Dryopteris carthusiana, Galium triflorum, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Lycopodium spp., Maianthemum canadense, Mitella nuda, Onoclea sensibilis, and Trientalis borealis. Moss species include Pleurozium schreberi, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, and others. Diagnostic features include the mixed dominance of Thuja occidentalis and hardwoods, particularly Betula alleghaniensis, in an essentially upland site type.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type (CEGL002450) is now differentiated from ~Thuja occidentalis / Abies balsamea - Acer spicatum Forest (CEGL002449)$$, based on the presence of northern hardwood species. In Minnesota, this type occurs on the North Shore, where Betula alleghaniensis is more common than northward into more boreal vegetation, but it co-occurs on the shore with the hemi-boreal white-cedar type ~Thuja occidentalis / Abies balsamea - Acer spicatum Forest (CEGL002449)$$. Elsewhere, it occurs in the northern hardwood region of the Great Lakes and Northeast. Betula alleghaniensis, per se, may not always be present, but the combination of more northern hardwood, as opposed to more boreal, species should be used to help distinguish this type from CEGL002449. This type may range from mesic to very wet-mesic. The hydrology of this type may be close to saturated.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy of this community is dominated by Thuja occidentalis and a variety of hardwoods, most typically Betula alleghaniensis, Betula papyrifera, and Populus tremuloides, but occasionally Acer rubrum, Acer saccharum and Fraxinus nigra. Associated conifers include Abies balsamea, Picea glauca, and rarely Tsuga canadensis. The understory usually contains a well-developed shrub/sapling layer, including Abies balsamea, Acer spicatum, Corylus cornuta, Diervilla lonicera, Linnaea borealis, Ribes triste, Rubus pubescens, and Taxus canadensis. Herbaceous species include Aralia nudicaulis, Eurybia macrophylla (= Aster macrophyllus), Clintonia borealis, Coptis trifolia, Cornus canadensis, Dryopteris carthusiana, Galium triflorum, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Lycopodium spp., Maianthemum canadense, Mitella nuda, Onoclea sensibilis, and Trientalis borealis. Moss species include Pleurozium schreberi, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, and others (MNNHP 1993, Chambers et al. 1997). Diagnostic features include the mixed dominance of Thuja occidentalis and hardwoods, particularly Betula alleghaniensis and other northern hardwood species, in an essentially upland site type.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community is found on well-drained to somewhat poorly drained upland soils (Beals and Cottam 1960, Chambers et al. 1997). The soil is typically moderately acidic sandy clay with a thin litter layer.
Geographic Range: This upland white-cedar - hardwood forest is found in the northern Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, and portions of central Canada, ranging from the Lake Superior shores of northeastern Minnesota to Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario and east to upstate New York and northern New England.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MI, MN, ON, QC?, WI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687178
Confidence Level: High
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2Q
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D008 | 1.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Na.7 Sugar Maple - Yellow Birch - Eastern Hemlock Forest Macrogroup | M014 | 1.B.2.Na.7 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.7.f Eastern Hemlock - Eastern White Pine - Yellow Birch Forest Group | G919 | 1.B.2.Na.7.f |
| Alliance | A4450 Northern White-cedar Acidic Laurentian Forest Alliance | A4450 | 1.B.2.Na.7.f |
| Association | CEGL002450 Northern White-cedar - Yellow Birch Forest | CEGL002450 | 1.B.2.Na.7.f |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Thuja occidentalis - Betula alleghaniensis Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001) [Northern Mesic Forest Cedar-Yellow Birch Subtype]
= Northern Hardwood - Conifer Forest (Northern Section) Yellow Birch - White Cedar Subtype (MNNHP 1993)
= Northern Hardwood - Conifer Forest (Northern Section) Yellow Birch - White Cedar Subtype (MNNHP 1993)
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- Epstein, Eric. Personal communication. Community Ecologist, Wisconsin Natural Heritage Program, Madison, WI.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
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- MNNHP [Minnesota Natural Heritage Program]. 1993. Minnesota''s native vegetation: A key to natural communities. Version 1.5. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, St. Paul, MN. 110 pp.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2003-2005a. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota. Three volumes: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province (2003), The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province (2005c), The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces (2005b). Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- ONHIC [Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre]. 2018. Unpublished data. Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario, Canada.
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- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 1999b. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Classification of the vegetation of Isle Royale National Park. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, and International Headquarters, Arlington, VA. 143 pp.
- WDNR [Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources]. 2015. The ecological landscapes of Wisconsin: An assessment of ecological resources and a guide to planning sustainable management. PUB-SS-1131 2015. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison. [http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/landscapes/Book.html]